Thursday, July 17, 2008

Pound Cake

I'm very excited about this cake, because it is my first cake from scratch, ever. I am so excited about my success that I'm already pondering my first layer cake, and gazing at the cake decorating supplies on Wilton. If anyone has any tips on how to explore cake baking/decorating without blowing the yarn budget, please don't hold back. :)

I used the pound cake recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook (I own the 1st ed. but I don't believe the recipes have changed in the most recent editions)

The book recommends using the food processor to mix the still hot melted butter into the eggs/sugar mixture. This is supposed to prevent curdling, however since I didn't feel like dragging out my food processor I enlisted a reluctant family to beat the mixture with all possible vigor whilst I let the butter slowly fall into it. It worked marvelously (though said family member wasn't too pleased) and transformed into this luscious...lusciousness.

After this step, the recipe requires adding the flour portion of the cake in three parts, being careful not to to overmix. Not too difficult, since a few streaks of flour should remain.

Next up, pour into the pan. The pan that you have greased and lined with parchment of course.50 mins in the oven later:

The crumb texture was quite good (much to my relief): I love the crack in the middle (or slightly to one side, as mine was) that is so characteristic of pound cake...ever so distinguished.